Kamado style cooker

ABSTRACT

A cast iron kamado style cooker includes a cast iron frustoconical pot and a semi-spherical cast iron lid. Both the lid and the pot are configured with integrally-formed circumferential band surrounding areas, of each that comprise the greatest diameter and are pivotally connected to each other so that the lid may be rotated away from the pot. The cooker also includes a lilt assist mechanism operative to impart a force to contribute to raising the cast iron lid.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims the benefit of priority under 35U.S.C. § 120 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/171,800 filed Jun.5, 2015 and which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forthherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The apparatus is described with reference to the accompanying drawings.In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical orfunctionally similar elements.

FIG. 1 depicts a first embodiment of an exemplary kamado style cooker;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of a kamado style cooker according to oneexemplary embodiment with the lid thereof raised;

FIG. 3A & 3B are rear and side views of another exemplary embodiment ofa kamado style cooker;

FIG. 4A & 4B are rear and side views of yet another exemplary embodimentof a kamado style cooker;

FIG. 5 is a cut-away view of the interior of a kamado style cookeraccording to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6A presents a top plan view of a fire bowl for use with a kamadostyle cooker; and

FIG. 6B is an elevation view of the fire bowl of FIG. 6A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The various embodiments of the kamado style cooker and their advantagesare best -understood, by referring to FIGS. 1 through 4B of thedrawings, as well as the accompanying photographs, mechanical drawings,engineering analyses, and other information provided herewith. Theelements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis insteadbeing placed upon clearly illustrating the novel features and principlesof operation. Throughout the drawings, like numerals are used tor likeand corresponding parts of the various drawings.

Furthermore, reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “oneembodiment,” “various embodiments,” or any variant thereof means that aparticular feature or aspect described in conjunction with theparticular embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, theappearance of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in another embodiment,”or variations thereof in various places throughout the specification arenot necessarily all referring to its respective embodiment.

A kamado cooker is a traditional Japanese wood or charcoal fueled cookstove. Modem versions of the cooker are believed to derive from clayvessels used by humans to cook food for many thousands of years.However, the use of clay to form the cooker has given way to the use ofceramic materials today. Modern kamado style cookers are made from avariety of materials including high fire ceramics, refractory materials,double wall insulated steel, traditional terra cotta, and a mix ofPortland cement and crushed lava rock. Outer surfaces also vary from ahigh gloss ceramic glaze, paint, a textured stucco-like surface andceramic tiles. There is a draft opening in the lower side of the unit toprovide air to the charcoal, as web as a controllable vent in the top ofthe dome lid for air to exit the cooker. Temperature is controlled byadjusting these two vents. One or more grates are suspended over thefire to provide the cooking surface(s) for the food.

Manufacturers of the kamado style ceramic cookers claim that they areextremely versatile. Hot only can they be used for grilling and smoking,but pizza can be cooked on a pizza stone and bread can also be baked.This is by virtue of the excellent heat retention properties of theceramic shell that mean temperatures of up to 750° F. (400° C.) can beachieved. Also, due to the precise control of airflow (and thustemperature) afforded by the vent system, Kamado-style cookers are muchlike wood-fired ovens and can be used to roast and bake anything thatcan be roasted or baked in a traditional oven.

A common fault in the original Japanese design is that clay and ceramicmaterials tend to crack over time. Modern ceramic and refractorymaterials decrease cracking only to some extent, and Portland cement isstill associated with cracking problems. Accordingly, a well-knownshortcoming of modern Kamado-style cookers is their lack of strength anddurability because of the use of ceramic and refractory liningmaterials.

FIGS. 1 & 2 illustrate an exemplary kamado style cooker 10 comprising acast iron frustoconical pot 2 in which is defined a top opening 28 incommunication with a chamber (FIG. 5, 20) for retaining cooking fuel,e.g., charcoal and a cast iron circular grate 3 that is seated on a lipextending radially inward from the interior surface of the pot proximalto the top opening. The pot 2 is configures with an integrally formedcircumferential band 18 around the opening and a vent 19 defined in aportion of the pot wall near the bottom thereof. A semi-spherical domedlid 1 is hingedly attached to the on tor rim of the top of the pot andis operable to cover the top opening to retain heat within the resultingenclosure. The lid 1 comprises an integrally formed hand 17, a handle 4mounted to the front of the band 17 by which to lift the lid 1, and adome vent 5 located on the top of the lid 1 generally co-axially withthe central axis of the pot 2 when the lid 1 is closed.

Because cast iron is relatively heavy, the hinged connection 7 betweenthe lid 1 and the pot 2 is configured with a lift assist mechanism. Inone embodiment, the mechanism comprises one or more helical torsionsprings 8 installed on a binge pin 9 and biased to apply torque torotate the lid 1 away from the pot 2.

FIGS. 3A & 3B illustrate another embodiment with a lift assist mechanismcomprising one or more pneumatic pistons 10. The lid 1 is configuredwith an upper hinge plate 11 having downward tending flanges, the plate11 extending from band 17 to the rear of the cooker on the opposite sideof the lid 1 from the handle 4. The pot 2 also comprises a correspondinglower hinge plate 12 extending from band 18 to the rear and includesupward tending flanges. The flanges are configured with a bore thatreceives a hinge pin 9. In this embodiment, piston 10 is generallyvertically oriented having a lower end attached to the outer surface ofthe rear of the pot 2. The upper end of the piston 10 is pivotallycoupled to the downward-tending flanges of the upper hinge plate 11. Thepiston 10 is operable to apply pneumatic pressure to a piston head atupward end of a piston rod in the upward direction causing the rod to bedrawn into the piston cylinder. Thus, when an upward force is applied tothe handle 4 to raise the lid 1 a downward force is applied to the upperhinge plate 11 helping to rotate the lid 1 about the hinge pin 9.

Another version of a lift assist mechanism is shown in FIGS. 4A & 4Bwhere the lower hinge plate 12′ is farther configured with a horizontalsupport flange 14. The support flange 14 includes one or more holesdefined therein each of which receives a generally vertical tie rod 13.The upper end of the tie rod 13 is pivotally coupled to eitherdownward-tending flange of the upper hinge plate 11 while the lower endof the tie rod 13 terminates-in a plate 16. The tie rod 13 extendsthrough a compression spring 15 disposed between the bottom surface ofthe horizontal support flange 14 and the top surface of the plate 16.When the handle 4 is lifted, force from the compression spring 15 isapplied against the horizontal support flange 14 mid against fee plate16 pushing them apart and drawing the lower end of the tie rod 13downward. This in turn applies downward force to the upper hinge plate11 through the pivotal coupling with the upper end of the tie rod 13imparting additional rotation to the lid I about the hinge pin 9.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 6 & 6A, in another embodiment of the cooker, acast iron fire bowl 21 is housed within the chamber 20 defined by thefrustoconical pot 2. The fire bowl 21 defines a receptacle 22 forreceiving cooking fuel and comprises a floor 25 in which are defined aplurality of openings 26. The fire bowl 21 is configured with acylindrical pedestal in which is defined a cylindrical chamber 27 withwhich the plurality of openings 26 in the floor 25 is in communication.The wall of the pedestal includes a vent window 24 open to thecylindrical chamber 27. Thus, the fire howl 21 contains fire for cookingand air for the fire may be received within the bowl 21 through theopenings 26. Air flows into the chamber 20 of the pot 21 via the vent 19and enters the cylindrical chamber 27 within the pedestal 23 of the firebowl 21 and then into the receptacle 22 via the openings 26 in die floor25. In some embodiments the cast iron fire bowl 21 is a unitary article,i.e., a single, cast piece. It will be appreciated that most ceramiccookers use fire boxes, or bowls comprised of two separate ceramicpieces with a cast iron bottom plate. Disadvantages of this structureinclude unnecessary complexity and reduced durability. A single castiron fire howl 21 eliminates these shortcomings. Further, a wider rangeof cooking fuels may be used. Indeed, a cast iron fire bowl permits theuse of lighter fluid, which is specifically prohibited in ceramiccookers.

As described above and shown in the associated drawings, the presentinvention comprises a kamado style cooker formed from cast iron. Whileparticular embodiments have been described, it will be understood,however, that any invention appertaining to die apparatus described isnot limited thereto, since modifications may be made by those skilled inthe art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. It is,therefore, contemplated by the appended claims to cover any suchmodifications that incorporate those features or those improvements thatembody the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cast iron kamado style cooker comprising: acast Iron frustoconical pot in which is defined a chamber incommunication with a circular opening, the pot including a firstintegrally-formed circumferential band; a semi-spherical cast iron liddimensioned to cover the opening, said lid also comprising a secondintegrally formed circumferential band around the portion of the lidhaving the greatest diameter, said lid being in hinged connection withsaid frustoconical pot; and a lift assist mechanism operative to imparta force to contribute to raising said lid.
 2. The cast iron kamado stylecooker of claim 1, wherein said lift mechanism is one of a torsionspring, a pneumatic piston or a compression spring.
 3. The cast ironkamado style cooker of claim 1, wherein, said lift mechanism comprisesone or more helical torsion, springs installed on a hinge pin and biasedto apply torque to rotate said lid away from said pot.
 4. The cast ironkamado style cooker of claim 1, wherein said lift mechanism comprisesone or more pneumatic pistons, each said piston having a first end and asecond end, and wherein said each said first end is pivotally attachedto said lid and each said second end Is pivotally attached to said pot,5. The east iron kamado style cooker of claim 1, further comprising: afirst hinge plate extending radially outward from said lid; a secondhinge plate extending radially outward from said frustoconical pot andgenerally in parallel alignment with said first hinge plate andpivotally connected therewith, said second hinge plate configured withan upper horizontal support flange having one or more holes definedtherethrough, an vertical flange terminating in a lower horizontalsupport flange; one or more tie rods having a lower end attached to saidlower horizontal support flange and an tipper end pivotally attached tosaid first hinge plate, each of said one or more tie rods extendingthrough said one or more holes in said upper horizontal support, flange;and one or more compression, members supported by said, one or more tierods, each of said compression members having an upper end seatedagainst a bottom surface of said upper horizontal support plate and alower end seated against top surface of said lower support plate,wherein said one or more compression members impart force against bothsaid bottom and top surfaces.
 6. The cast iron kamado style cooker ofclaim 1, further comprising: a cast, iron fire bowl providing areceptacle tor cooking fuel therein and having a floor in which isdefined a plurality of openings in communication with said receptacleand a pedestal in which is defined a hollow chamber in communicationwith said plurality of openings, said pedestal comprising a vent windowdefined in a wall thereof
 7. The cast iron kamado style cooker of claim6, wherein said east iron, fire bowl is a unitary piece.
 8. The castiron kamado style cooker of claim 6, wherein said lift mechanism is oneof a. torsion spring, a pneumatic piston or a compression spring.
 9. Thecast iron kamado style cooker of claim 6, wherein said lilt mechanismcomprises one or more helical torsion springs installed on a hinge pinand biased to apply torque to rotate said lid away from said pot. 10.The cast iron kamado style cooker of claim 6, wherein said liftmechanism comprises one or more pneumatic pistons, each said pistonhaving a first end and a second end, and wherein said each said firstend is pivotally attached to said lid and each said second end ispivotally attached to said pot.
 11. The cast iron kamado style cooker ofclaim 6, further comprising: a first hinge plate extending radiallyoutward from said lid; a second hinge plate extending radially outwardirons said frustoconical pot and generally in parallel alignment withsaid first hinge plate and pivotally connected therewith, said secondhinge plate configured with an upper horizontal support flange havingone or more holes defined therethrough, an vertical flange terminatingin a lower horizontal support flange; one or more tie rods having alower end attached to said lower horizontal support flange and an upperend pivotally attached to said first hinge plate, each of said one ormore tie rods extending through said one or more holes in said upperhorizontal support flange; and one or more compression members supportedby said one or more tie rods, each of said compression members having anupper end seated against a bottom surface of sold upper horizontalsupport plate and a lower end seated against top surface of said lowersupport plate, wherein said one or more compression members impart forceagainst both said bottom and top surfaces.